MANA House is a place where homeless veterans can find help

Rex Neighbors, 62, a Navy veteran, talks about the help he got at Catholic Charities' MANA House, a transitional living program for homeless veterans.(Photo11: Karina Bland/The Republic)

Rex Neighbors had nowhere to go when he got out of the nursing home. He was clipped by a truck five months earlier, the big side mirror catching him in the head.

He lost his apartment while he was laid up.

Online at the library, Rex found the MANA House in Phoenix, a transitional living program for homeless veterans, staffed mostly by veterans.

The men live like they did in the barracks, four men to each tidy room, assigned to squadrons. An adviser helps them find work and housing and apply for services and health care, difficult systems to navigate and harder if you are homeless.

The place feels familiar and safe.

“All of them need to be reminded that they are worth something,” said Danelle King, senior program manager and former Army medic.

Fifty-seven men live there, the oldest 80 and the youngest 24. The average stay is six months.

Rex arrived in November, wobbly on his feet and clutching a cane. He felt a respect and camaraderie he hadn't felt in some time.

He had enlisted in the Navy at 21 and served eight years, mostly on medical ships deployed in the Western Pacific.

At Catholic Charities' MANA (Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, homeless veterans get help in a familiar setting from people who understand because they're often veterans, too.(Photo11: Courtesy of MANA House)

His adviser helped gather lost paperwork — Social Security card, military discharge — and apply for services. He got Rex to a doctor, physical therapist and psychiatrist at the VA hospital. They worked out a budget and made a plan.

It’s been three months now. Rex leaves soon for Indiana, where he grew up. He’ll work for his brother-in-law on a farm.